Ann Coulter on Delta Air Lines flap: ‘They’re lying so much about this’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ann Coulter went on live TV to set the record straight after a three-day torrent of tweets tearing apart Delta Air Lines.
The conservative commentator appeared on “Fox and Friends” on Tuesday morning to discuss the events that transpired aboard her flight from New York to West Palm Beach, when she alleges that Delta took away the extra-legroom seat she specifically reserved.
“It was before boarding, I had picked out the seat I wanted. I was in the waiting area, the boarding area, for 90 minutes,” said Coulter. “And then as I was boarding, the ticket agent snatched the ticket out of my hand and said, ‘No, we’ve given you a different seat.’ And I said ‘Why?’, and she said ‘Emergency.’”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}'CAPTAIN AMERICA' ACTOR TROLLS ANN COULTER OVER DELTA INCIDENT
Coulter said she went ahead and sat in the seat she booked anyway. A stewardess soon told her she’d have to move for another passenger, but couldn’t give any explanation as to why.
“[The other passenger] was not an elderly person, was not a sickly person, a very tall person,” claimed Coulter, who is six feet tall. “It’s been three days now, and Delta still hasn’t given an explanation, much less an apology.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Coulter added that she doesn’t appreciate Delta’s “snarky” response on Twitter, in which they offered to refund her the $30 she paid for her original Comfort+ seat.
“They’re lying so much about this — that was one of the snarky tweets they sent out,” said Coulter. “No, it’s not about the $30. You gave me a more cramped seat.”
Coulter, 55, originally began airing her grievances with Delta on Saturday afternoon, telling her Twitter followers that Delta is "the worst airline in America” after they gave away her preferred seat without any “explanation, compensation or apology.” Coulter further fueled #DeltaGate by blasting the airline’s customer service record, and tweeting out a photo of the woman who occupied the seat Coulter initially reserved.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DELTA FLIGHT GETS STUCK IN DIRT, SHUTS DOWN NC AIRPORT FOR HOURS
“I’d be perfectly happy to move for an old person, for an air marshal — very clearly, that wasn’t the case. That’s why I took a picture of the passenger, because I knew Delta would lie about it. And of the stewardess, because I knew they’d say ‘We have no idea what you’re talking about.’
“They’ve been unbelievably arrogant,” added Coulter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The day after Coulter began her Twitter attack, Delta responded with a half-hearted apology, much to the delight of Coulter’s detractors.
“We're sorry you did not receive the preferred seat you paid for and will refund your $30,” Delta tweeted at Coulter.
"Additionally, your insults about our other customers and employees are unacceptable and unnecessary," they added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Delta also issued an official statement on its News Hub on Sunday evening, explaining the source of the confusion, and adding that the airline could not overlook Coulter’s “public attack” on its crew and passengers.
According to Delta, Coulter had originally reserved a window seat in the exit aisle, but less than a day before departure, Coulter switched to an aisle seat. Delta, however, admitted to accidentally moving Coulter to another window seat.
Coulter herself even confirmed on “Fox and Friends” that her new seat also offered extra legroom, though not as much as she would have had in her original seat. “It was, but not as much,” she said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In trying to clear up the confusion, Delta claims a flight attendant seated all passengers in their assigned seats, and “the flight departed without incident.”
Delta, however, felt Coulter’s tweets went beyond mere complaints, and took a nasty turn, turning into “a public attack on the airline’s employees and customers.”
"We are sorry that the customer did not receive the seat she reserved and paid for. More importantly, we are disappointed that the customer has chosen to publicly attack our employees and other customers by posting derogatory and slanderous comments and photos in social media.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Her actions are unnecessary and unacceptable,” Delta’s News Hub reported.
Delta also wrote that they’d already attempted to call Coulter and apologize for the confusion.
“The airline’s social media and customer care teams made several attempts to connect with her to apologize for the seat mix-up; however, they did not hear back from Coulter until Sunday evening.”
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Coulter, however, claimed on “Fox and Friends” that she’s still waiting for a response.
“They may think this is very witty, to be firing back at me on Twitter after behaving rudely — again, no explanation, no apology. Just, ‘Here, you have to move for this other person.’ What is the reason for that?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“They’ve had four days to investigate. Why did they do this? It’s not the worst thing in the world, but is it that hard for Delta employees to simply be polite and simply give passengers the seat that they booked? Is that such a high hurdle?”